This easy-to-make congee is a rice + quinoa recipe for babies which can be made in a matter of minutes using an Instant Pot. It is cooked with bone-in chicken, vegetables, and bone broth of choice. What is congee? It is a first food offered to kids in East Asia. It was introduced to my South Asian family by a childhood friend and because of that my kids grew up eating it as a baby’s first food.
Ingredients
white rice (jasmine, basmati, long grain)quinoa no salt bone broth, chicken or beefparsleyonion, chopped finely (dried or fresh)vegetable of choice - (kale, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, etc)chicken, drum stick or thigh with skin and bonesalt (for babies over 12 months)
Instructions
Wash the rice and quinoa (optional) and place them in the Instant Pot with all of the other ingredients.
Cook the porridge for 20 minutes on high pressure with the vent sealed. Allow it to naturally cool down before opening.
Once the Instant Pot finishes cooking, take the bone out of the chicken and cut the chicken using scissors. In my experience scissors work best to cut the chicken and skin finely.
Serve the baby quinoa and rice porridge warm.
Variations
Vegetarian- give my kichdi a tryAdd turmeric (powder or fresh)Finely chopped vegetable options (I’ve tried them all)peas, spinach, kale, carrots, green beans, bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli slaw, sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, zucchini, etc. Salt (recommended for 12 months and over)
Porridge Toppings
soy saucesrirachatoasted sesame oilsesame seedsgreen onionsdry roasted unsalted peanutschopped chili pepperscilantro
Equipment
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try making this recipe in a traditional pressure cooker.
Top Tips
Remove the bone before storing leftovers. This will help prevent the chicken from having a “gamey” flavor.Add hot water to the serving bowl in order to reach a consistency your baby prefersMake it adult friendly after taking out the baby’s porridge.
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📖 Recipe
